Pep Guardiola has suggested that Manchester City defender John Stones could be back to full fitness in the coming weeks.
The Englishman has yet to make an appearance for the Citizens in the Premier League this season due to an apparent hip injury.
With the league champions set to take on Wolves away from home this weekend in the Premier League, the City boss has shared some behind-the-scenes information regarding the centre-back’s availability.
Guardiola says Stones could be back soon
Speaking in his recent press conference ahead of Saturday’s match at Molineux, Guardiola had this to say about Stones‘ fitness and when he could be back in action.
He said: “John [Stones] is not ready. Kevin [De Bruyne] is not ready. Bernardo is not okay. I think the rest are fine. [John Stones] is better, much better. He feels really good. He is training alone but maybe next week or after Leipzig, he will start.”
Since joining the Manchester club back in 2016 from Everton in a deal worth £47.5m, the Englishman has made 230 appearances across all competitions, chipping in with 15 goals and five assists, winning five Premier League titles along the way.
Last season saw the 29-year-old make 34 appearances for City across all competitions and played a big role in seeing the club win the Champions League by featuring in a defensive-midfield role against Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Inter Milan.
Stones’ efforts in that midfield role earned him some hefty praise from Guardiola, who labelled him as an “incredible” player back in June for the way he operates in the middle of the pitch.
With all of that in mind, it will surely be a massive positive for the manager and the supporters to see the Englishman back in the team and being an important figure for them.
